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25.8.17

My superpower: "Forgetting Things"

It's pretty simple, really.

When CRS strikes, you know it. You just Can't Remember Shit (CRS).

When I got to work this morning, I thought today was Thursday. No. Really. It wasn't until I opened a journal I open every morning to make an entry and the book told me it was Friday that I realized something was wrong.

Well.

At first I was mad because obviously I had dated the pages of the journal incorrectly ... of *course* I didn't believe the book. So I looked at the bottom right corner of my computer monitor on my desk ... it also said 'Friday, August 25th.'

WHAT?

"No way," I thought to myself. I might have even said that aloud.

I was squinting at the computer monitor (yeah, I should probably update my glasses prescription, too) trying to confirm the computer monitor's date/time reading when the lady on the morning TV news suddenly, and thankfully, said 'Happy Friday!' Holy crap ... I'd forgotten it was Friday?

Now I'd been stuck on *Wednesdays* before when it was really *Thursday,* and that's usually a *good* thing! But never had I screwed up a *Friday.* Even though I'd still gotten a "free day," it was still a little disconcerting for a while. But I was able to stifle my concerns until getting home to sit down to tell you all about it here via your ... whatever modern gadget or dooflicky with which you are reading this.

So it's official. I probably don't have Alzheimer's, but I definitely have CRS.

The good news: CRS is normal and usually not something to worry about. Sometimes it's correctable and sometimes it even fixes itself. In my case, I've not been getting enough sleep. Like 4 or less hours a night this past week. So I'm going to go with that. But we all must at some point consider accepting the fact that, fortunately or unfortunately, as our families, friends and coworkers will often say, "we're getting old."

Yep. These "senior moments" are all a part of growing up. Just like puberty. Troubling as they may seem - and sometimes more troubling than at other times - they are just simple memory lapses due to any one of a number of things. In the case of those of us who still refuse to acknowledge that we are getting older and we're not Peter Pan, we can call it "absentmindedness." But, with that, we must also then understand and accept that we will find our moments of absentmindedness increase as we get older. Me? I'll probably accept that right about at that time when I have to say goodbye and join all those who have gone before me into the great unknown.

Forgetting to take your keys or cellphone when you leave the house or the office: NORMAL. Not remembering where you put the pen or notebook that you had in your hand only minutes or seconds before: NORMAL. Not being able to recall something someone said only moments before or recall someone's name as fast as you'd like or the name of a common item: NORMAL. All these 'senior moments' are attributable to getting older as well as to simply being distracted and are nothing to worry about. You were thinking of something else, daydreaming, if you will. Not a problem. Chill.

I know I will often rationalize, usually not seriously, that *I* am distracted by shiny things or pondering some other, more important thoughts usually involving quantum physics or some biomechanical engineering concept at any given time when I'm supposed to be paying attention to something else, and I miss things that are obvious to everyone else in the room.

One must be careful with that rationalization, however.

As is shown, for example, in the recent documentary about the late Glen Campbell's dealing with Alzheimer's disease entitled "I'll Be Me," he is often heard to explain away his troubling early signs of Alzheimer's with excuses like "Oh I don't worry about that stuff" or with other similar excuses justifying to himself and others why he could not remember things ,,, like the day of the week, the current month of the year, etc.

What pushed my button to think about this so much this week was that I was a little worried one morning in my office this week. A coworker, Kristin arrived and passed by another coworker, Mike, and me. Everyone (including me, apparently) said 'hello' or 'good morning' or whatever. A few minutes later, I asked Mike: "Is Kristin coming in today?"

"Dude," he answered, "she *just* walked right by you and you said 'Hello!'"

The look of amazement on his face that said "Are you serious? Do you really not remember her just passing in front of you and talking to her?!" (he might have even said that) was kinda ... worrisome.

Ya gotta hate it when that happens.

But, still, *weird* as this was, it was still attributable to just not paying full attention in the moment or having something else on my mind at the time of her arrival and it simply didn't fully register (or, in my case, at all!). In my case ... I was likely not fully awake yet. Like I said, I haven't been sleeping well ... or enough.

Fortunately I don't drive to work.

But, even with all this "don't worry" stuff, there can sometimes be cause for concern.